Cable cutter



H. H. TOWNSHEND, JR

CABLE CUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed OCT.. 14, 1958 INV ENTOR Her/rz] H.7wnoheno, Jr.

ATTORNEY Oct. 17, 1961 H. H. TowNsHEND, JR 3,004,339

CABLE- CUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCT.. 14, 1958 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS3,004,339 CABLE CUTTER I-IenryH. Townshend, Jr., New Haven, Conn.,'assigner to J. T. .Henry Manufacturing Co.,` Inc., Hamden, Conn., acorporation of Connecticut Filed Oct. 14,1958, Ser. No. 767,105

l n 4 Claims." A(Cl. 30'124) This invention relates to "a cable cutter,and relates more particularly to a cable cutter provided with a holderfor holding" stranded cable as it is cut. Heretot'ore cutters have beenproposed which'have included a' holder for holding an article while thearticle is cut. However, these proposed cutters have been open tocertain objections. 'I'hey have not been Well adapted to the cutting ofstranded cable of relatively small diameters, and they have not beenadapted to hold theV article to be cut at both sides of the shearpoint.y 'I l A stranded cable tends tol be attened by the pressure ofthe cutting blades. As the' 'cable is ilattened the strands tend tospread alongrthecutting edges. This spreading action presents manystrands simultaneously to the cutting edges and, due to this, theclosing of the cutter blades is more strongly resisted by the cable thanwould be the case where the cable tends to remain in its round form asitis being cut. Where the cable tends to remain in its round form as itis cut, only relatively few strands are cut at one time and, therefore,the resistance ofthe cable to the Aclosing movement of the blades ismaintained at a minimum. Of course, this is very advantageous because ittends to reduce the force or pressure required to move the cuttingblades through aV stranded cable. t

One object of the invention is to provide a cable cutter having a holderwhich effectively tends to retain a stranded cable in round form as itis cut.

Another object is to provide a cable cutter having cable-holding meansincluding cable-engaging'elements at both sides of the cutter, tosimultaneously engage a cable at opposite sides of the point at whichAit is to be cut.A

In Vthe drawings: 1

FIG. l' is a fragmentaryy top plan view loffa cable cutter embodying theinvention; u

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the cutter;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the cutter;

FIG. 4 is -a perspective view of the cable holder;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in top plan illustrating thecutter Aduring the cutting of the stranded cable; and A l FIG. 6 is aview similar to FIG. 5, but illustrating the cutting of the strandedcable of smaller diameter.

In the drawings, the blades of the cutter, which may be of identicalform, are indicated generally at 10. By Way of example, the blades areshown in association with blade-operating links or levers v11 pivoted toan actuating rod 112, but, if desired, the blades may be operated byconventional handle members instead of the blade-op erating links 11`and the actuating rod 12. IIn the illustrated form, the blades aremounted on generally triangularly shaped plates 13 at opposite sides ofthe cutter. A pair of bolts 14 extend through the plates 13 and therespective blades to pivot the blades for movement between the plates.

'Ihe actuating rod 12 is movable lengthwise in a tubu ll-ar member 15which, at its outer end, is embraced by a sleeve |16 secured to themember 15, as by Welding. The sleeve 16 is shouldered, as at 17, tooverlie the outer edge of the tubular member 15 and the sleeve 16 isprovided with a attened bifurcated extension 18 extending beyond theouter end of the tubular member 15 and extending between the plates 13to support the latter, as

i Patented Octfl', 1961 shown in FIG. 2. To mount the plates 13 on thebifurcated extension of the sleevek 116, a bolt 19 extends through theplatesr 13 and through the arms of the biiurcated extension 18.` Aspacer 20 embraces the bolt between the arms of the bifurcated extension18 to prevent the collapse of the extension when the bolt 19 is undertension. To prevent angular'movement of the plates .13 on the bifurcatedextension a rivet 21 extends through the plates and through the arms ofthe bifurcated extension.

v lnwardly ofthe bifurcated extension the tubular mem,- ber 15 isprovided with longitudinal slots 22 in diametrically opposite relationto one another; The slots 22 register with similar slots 23 formed inthe sleeve. Each link 11 has one end thereof extending into one slot -22and the corresponding slot23.l These ends are provided with a commonpivot 24 pivotally co-nnecting the links to the outer end of theactuating rod 12. The other ends of the links are pivotally connected tothe respective blades 10, as by bolts 25. The last-mentioned ends of thelinks yextend into recesses 26 formed in the blades. The blades may havethe form shown in the drawings, the blades being providedwith straightcutting edges 27. The -arrangement is such that when the actuating rod12 is moved toward the outer end of the tubular member 15 the blades aremoved in a closing direc tion, and whenfthe rod 12 is moved inthe otherdirection, the blades are moved in the opening direction. Movement maybe imparted to the actuating rod 12 by any suitable means (not shown),such as a fluid operated piston, for example. Y Y

` The cable holder of -the cutter, which is best shown in FIG. 4, is ofbifurcated or yoke form and may be const ructed conveniently of sheetmetal. The cable holder, indicated generally at 28, has legs or arms 29of plate form -arranged opposite one another substantially inparallelism and interconnected by an integral substantially at plateportion 30. Each arm -29 has a side-edge 31 which, in top plan, issubstantially straight. Intermediate the ends thereof each arm 29 isprovided with a shoulder 32 extending transversely of the arm and whichis inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arm. Theshoulders 32, in effect, fbring the arms 29 to-i ward one another at theinner end portions of the arms, as best shown in FIG. 2. Adjacent theirdistal ends and also'adjacent the substantially straight edge 31, thearms are providedwith registering holes to receive oneof the pivot pinsor bolts 14 mounting one of the cutter blades 10. As shown, the arms 29of the cableholder partially overlie the respective triangular plates 13,on which the blades are pivoted by the bolts 114. The. arrange@ ment issuch that the holder 28 embraces a portion of at least one of the cutterblades 10. 'Ihe pivot bolt 14 which extends through the holder 28 mountsthe latter for swinging movement relatively to both blades of the ,cablecutter.

The cable holder 28 normally extends over a substantial portion of thecutting edge of the blade mounted on the last-mentioned pivot bolt 14,and the holder 28 is biased by a pair of hairpin springs 33 in adirection toward the other blade. However, movement of the holder 28 inthis direction is limited by the shoulders 32 of the holder which engagethe respective plates 13 of the cutter when the holder is in theinoperative position of FIG. 1. Each hairpin spring 33 has the outer endof one arm thereof bearing against the edge 31 of the corresponding ann29 and the other end thereof tixed to the support for the blades, as bythe bolt 19. The intermediate portion of each spring 33 may be supportedby the bolt 14 which extends through the holder, this support beingeffected as by a cotter pin 19a extending through the bolt 19 andembracing the spring.

Each arm 29 of the cable holder has a tapered leading edge por-tion 34-adjacent its outer end. Each arm 29 inwardly of the tapered edgeportion 3'41 and adjoining the latter has a substantially straight edgeportion 35 terminating at the shoulder 32. Adjacent or immediatelyinward of the shoulders 32 the side edges of the holder remote from theside edges 31 are provided with aligned cable-holding recesses 36. -Eachcable-holding recess 36 is formed, 4at least in part, by what may betermed a reverse curve providing an inturned nose in the side edge ofthe corresponding arm 29, that is, a nose which is turned generally inthe direction of the operator of the cutter, the nose being indicated at37. The nose 37 provided on each arm Z9 merges with a substantiallystraight edge portion 38 which, when the blades'are in the open positionof PIG. 1, is inclined with respect to the cutting edge which generallyopposes the cable holder 28. Y The operation of the cable cutter is asfollows. When it is desired to cutV a cable, the cable is thrust betweenthe holder and the blade opposing the holder, when the blades are open.The cable is wedged between the holder and the opposing blade,engaging/the inclined edges 38 of the holder and thrustingV the holder,against the action of the springs 33, in a directionto per-mitthe cableto slip into the recesses 36 in the holder. The movement of the holderin this direction is indicated in broken lines in FIG. 1 of thedrawings. When the cable is engaged in the recesses 36 of the holder andthe cutter blades are subsequently moved toward their closed positions,the cable tends to t itself snugly under the noses 37 of the holder `andtends to retain its round form, owing to the curvature of the recesses36, during the cutting operation. After the cable is cut by the bladesit may fall free from the holder. As previously indicated, the cablecutter is shown in FIG. 6 cutting a cable of smaller diameter than thatshown n PIG. 5.y In this instance the operation of the holder is similarto that described above, but the cable does not lill the recesses 36 inthe holder to the same extent. However, it is held under the noses 37 ofthe holder in such a way that, owing to the curvature of the recesses36, the cable tends to retain its round -form during the cuttingoperation.

j Due to the fact that the cable is held at both sides during thecutting operation, the holder is kveryetlective in preventing atteningof the cable. The cable cutter provided with the holder also tends toprevent outward dislocationof the cable between the blades and,furthermore, tends to prevent the cable from wobbling during the cuttingoperation so that a straighter cut isl eiected.

While only one form of the cable cutter has been shown in the drawingsland described above, itwill be obvious to those versed in the art thatthe cutter may take other forms and is susceptible of various changes indetails without departing from the principles of the invention and thescope of the claims.

What'I claim is:

l. In a cable holder for use with a cable cutter having a pair ofswinging blades, a yoke mounted for swinging movement relatively to theblades, the yoke embracing one of the blades and being spring urgedtoward the other, the arms of the yoke having generally arcuate alignedrecesses therein to receive and hold a cable at both sides of the pointat which it is to be cut, the yoke being swingable away from said otherblade for entry of the cable in said recesses, and the entire swingingmovement of the yoke being independent of movement of the blades.

2. In a cable holder for use with a cable cutter having a pair ofswinging blades, aV yoke mounted'for swinging movement relatively Ytothe4 blades, the yoke embracing one of the blades and being spring urgedtoward the other, the arms of the yoke being ofrplate-like form andeachhaving a tapered leading edge portion for abutment by a cable toswing the 4holder away from said other blade as the cable is introducedbetween the blades when the blades are open, the leading edges of thearms having generally arcuate and aligned recesses therein to receiveand hold the cable so that the cable is engaged at both sides of thepoint at which it is to cut.

3. In a cable holder -for use with a` cable cutter having a pair ofswinging blades, a yoke mounted for swinging movement relatively to theblades, the yoke embracing one of the blades and being spring urgedtoward the other, the arms of the yoke being of plate-like form, theleading edges of the arms having aligned noses formed thereon to slipover and engage a cable at both sides of the point at which it is to becut.

4.` In a cable holder for use with a cable cutter having a pair ofswinging blades, a yoke mounted for swinging movement relatively to theblades and having an axis xed relatively to the swinging axes of theblades, the yoke embracing one of the blades and being spring urgedtoward the other, the arms of the yoke being of platelike form, theleading edges of the arms having aligned noses lformed thereon to yslipover and engage a cable at both sides of the point at which it is tocut, thevyoke being swingable away from said other blade for entry ofthe cable under said noses, and the entire swinging movement of the yokebeing independent of movement of the blades.

References Cited in the lile ofY this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

